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Helping New Players (Public Server)


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Hi, after figuring out many of the games mechanics and being able to survive a year without any issues on my own, I've started to join public servers to play with others. While playing on a public server, it's obvious that a major problem is players joining on a later day (Ex: day 15) and then not being able to find any started items and then dying as well as not ever being able to obtain the rarer items that most of the players that have played on the server already have already gotten. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for making it just a bit easier for players joining a server a little late such as maybe leaving a chest at spawn filled with items.

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Sometimes players (occasionally me) will opt to make a little spawn base, alch machine, crock pot, fire pit and Maybe a chest or two. The most common issue I've had with a chest filled with items is that one person joins, then proceeds to take every item from the chest, then either logs out with it or runs off and dies with it somewhere in the world.

If you do leave a chest of "take 1 and leave the rest for the others" type items you can expect it to happen. I don't personally think it's worth using too much time refilling a starter chest like that unless you really really want to. Maybe just do it every autumn as something to do if it's a lengthy world.

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You couldn't even leave a stack of flint because the first person will take it all. The most I've managed to do is put a fire pit, a science machine and a bunch of axes at the spawn, because no one is going to take six axes. Whatever you put at the spawn will be burnt to a crisp within a year in most instances, so there's no point in making it anything fancy.

For the most part, people who join during a difficult season have no idea what they're doing, don't know about freezing or overheating, etc., or how to use a thermal stone. They will put the beefalo hat on in summer if they have one and so on. More capable players don't join a server in winter or summer unless they have some survival techniques in mind and are looking for a challenge.

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Whenever somebody joins when it's day 15+, I go to the spawn, tell them the direction of our base, watch them do stuff, make sure they don't get killed, and try to protect them at all costs. I've died a few times because of the server I'm playing on has PVP and the host doesn't want people to fight, or I get killed because they whack a boss, or a hive of bees and then push me in front of them to take all the damage.

One time I almost died because of it, but thankfully, my Marble Suit protected me from the Spider hoard they attracted. It was a huge blow to my health, but worth it cause I saved their life.

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I have a base made for them.  It has a crock pot, fire pit, endothermic fire pit, chest full of pick axes and axes, a chest full of logs for full, alchemy engine, and....  That's it.  I don't leave torches because trolls.  I leave them full of logs and tuffs in case they go in the night and want to stay for a while.  They can find their own grass in sticks.  If a season is approaching (winter, spring, and summer), then I'll put the seasonal items.  A few winter hats and thermal stones for winter.  An umbrella and straw hat for spring and summer, since the umbrella and straw hat combo protects you from rain AND heat, so it's a double whammy!  

Other than that, I don't care.  They need to gain skills on their own and become independent.  I will help if they ask, though I make a habit not to have them following me like a shadow.  It breeds co-dependency and it's annoying to boot.

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I usually put one of each type of firepit, some axes, and plant a bunch of trees near the entrance--and then also do a sign, saying something along the lines of:

"IF ARRIVING IN WINTER/SUMMER : 1.  Take axe.  2 . Chop trees.  3.  Light appropriate firepit and don't die.  :)"

That of course won't help people who arrive after all the axes are gone and I haven't had a chance to restock yet, or those who spend so many summers in the cave they've never even SEEN an endo firepit and assume it's a modded version of a regular one, but for _most_ players, it's better than nothing.  (shrug)

...Notorious

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You aren't gonna teach new players a thing if you keep acting like a babysitter for them. The best thing you can do is to try to leave basic resources untouched and unpicked near the portal that way they don't sit around just letting their character die. You have to really drill it into their head that the first thing they should be doing when they arrive is not asking for handouts or where a base is (especially not that), but rather getting the bare essentials to survive, exploring, and becoming self-sufficient. I'd even advocate against leaving so little as a science machine at spawn in most situations, because this makes them complacent. Point them to the nearest cave if need be, but make sure they are the ones keeping their own character alive.

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6 hours ago, Quyzbuk said:

You aren't gonna teach new players a thing if you keep acting like a babysitter for them. The best thing you can do is to try to leave basic resources untouched and unpicked near the portal that way they don't sit around just letting their character die. You have to really drill it into their head that the first thing they should be doing when they arrive is not asking for handouts or where a base is (especially not that), but rather getting the bare essentials to survive, exploring, and becoming self-sufficient. I'd even advocate against leaving so little as a science machine at spawn in most situations, because this makes them complacent. Point them to the nearest cave if need be, but make sure they are the ones keeping their own character alive.

 I mostly agree with this, but it doesn't make much sense to the newbies.  You can spend five minutes typing out an explanation for why you're not coming to them, holding their hand, and providing them with taxi service to your base where all their needs will be met.  (Helicopter parents have a lot to answer for, imo.) They think you're just being cruel.  And while it may seem that this doesn't matter much,  there is the concern but it might put some new players off of the game.  Putting a science machine at the spawn is faif. There's no gold anywhere near the spawn in our world, which is over 1000 days old. It's unreasonable to expect them to be able to make science machine on their own,  at least not the way someone who has joined a relatively new world is able to. 

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